Is it necessary to put sealants on a child's 6-year-old molars / baby teeth?!
Question: I certainly understand the importance of sealing molars. But, aren't a child 6-year-old molars baby teeth that they're going to lose anyway? My dentist has a bad reputation for gouging people where he can, so I'm always wary. At $55 per tooth, do I need to get my son's molars sealed at this point?
Answers: I certainly understand the importance of sealing molars. But, aren't a child 6-year-old molars baby teeth that they're going to lose anyway? My dentist has a bad reputation for gouging people where he can, so I'm always wary. At $55 per tooth, do I need to get my son's molars sealed at this point?
If your child has "groovy" 6 year old molars and these 6 year molars are permanent teeth , yes get them sealed. 6 year molars by the way ARE permanent teeth, not baby teeth. A good test if they need sealed? Hand him/her a hand ful of raisins, come back and look at the teeth in 1/2 hour and if you see black lines in the teeth...they need sealants. How to know if they are permanent molars . Count, if they are the 6th tooth back from the middle they are permanent molars.
P.S. If your dentist has a reputation for "gouging" you need a new dentist. You need to trust your doctor, whomever it is...
I certainly wouldn't at that price. Just make sure he brushes well, and when he's old enough he can use a flouride rinse.
Well you don't if you make sure that he brushes his teeth every night.
i had it done as a child because my teeth are very suseptable to getting cavities. so i would recommend it. isnt it better to seal them now and not have to watch your son get a painful filling on a tooth he will lose in a few years? and fillings cost even more. think of it as an investment in his health
That's ridiculous...he's just going to lose the teeth in a couple of years anyway.
I had sealer put on my PERMANENT teeth when I was 13/14-ish.
it is necessary, but i wouldn't for that price.
he's gonna lose em anyway
i find its necessary but u might want to try to get a different price or different place to get them.
yes, it is necessary for a child that age to have sealants. It greatly decrease the chance the child will develop bad cavities in the future. I would, however, shop around and see if you can find a better price.
waist of money and a way for the dentist to come out with a new gimmick,,, billions of children have never had their baby teeth sealed,,, if its decayed pull it
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.People this is not neccessary,,, this is a baby tooth , it will probably fall out in 6 months anyway,,,, comeon
Then maybe you need to change to a dentist that you can trust.
If you child's molars have deep crevices or are pitted it might be a good idea to have them sealed. If the tooth becomes bad and has to be pulled then you will need to put in a spacer to hold the space for the permanent teeth. With out the space being maintained the teeth can drift and cause crowding when the new tooth comes in.
Also, if the tooth might be prone to decay and is not treated the decay can actually work it's way into the new permanent tooth.
But you should do what you feel is best for your child. You might even get a second opinion from a different dentist.
You don't need to get sealants for baby teeth. Just permanent ones. Baby teeth fall out anyways and it's not worth it. Keep an eye when he brushes and make sure he knows how to properly brush and floss.
When he has his permanent teeth in, then yes, go get sealants.
The teeth that are typically referred to as 6 year molars are permanent teeth. These are the same teeth your child will have for the rest of his life, if they are properly cared for. Sealants are a great way to prevent problems in the future.
Hello ... Yes this is totally necessary to have sealants put on baby teeth. A sealant is like a filling for a baby tooth. Its does what it sounds like it "seals" a possible formation fo a cavity. In most cases if they have to do an actual filling inside a child's mouth they will do an amalgam (which is basically a silver filling, as a composite is a nice white one). The amalgams often cost much more than a sealant. When the denists puts on a sealant they are basically trying to prevent further decay of the tooth and trying to protect it until it falls out. The price of $55 is actually cheap. The office I worked at for 6 years charged $70 and if you want an actual filling which would be the amalgams we would be looking at about $90-$100 and a composit is even more than that. If you are really in doubt though and have a dentist with a bad rep I would suggest switching. You dont want to mess around with your oral health and catch any problems you're children may be having early on. It'll save you lots as they get older if you start to get a hold of them now.
At 6 years old, your child probably has 4 permanent molars. Permanent as in no more replacements. The purpose of a sealant is to reduce the chances of a cavity on the biting surface of these teeth. A sealant is probably 1/4 of the price of a filling and in non-invasive. Depending on where you live, this price may be reasonable. It's on target with what they charge at my office. If you do not trust your dentist, I question why you remain a patient. But this is a perfectly reasonable treatment modality.
As for the remaining baby teeth, it's up to you. Do you truly monitor your childs brushing habits? If his or her habits are good and you help get the job done correctly, then maybe you can hold of sealing them. Just keep in mind that decay from baby teeth can progress to the forming perm. teeth and can also cause malformation of the perm. teeth. Also, letting a baby tooth rot and then pulling it out prematurly is a bad option that usually leads to poor eruption and crooked teeth, bad experiences and even speech problems.
Visit a different dentist if you want. Another suggestion is to go to www.ada.org and look up dental hygiene schools (or dental colleges) in your state. In massachusetts dental hygiene colleges charge only 10 dollars per tooth for sealants.
It is important to seal all molars and even premolars of a child. This will save you tons of money in the long run by preventing tooth decay (cavities). So it is worth it but you can always call around and ask other dentists what they charge.